Explaining The Performance Choices

Aram, Nick, and I chose the conversation between Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo when the ghost first enters. We chose this conversation because it shows a huge tonal shift as well as the comparison of Appearance Vs. Reality. Horatio "appears" to be arrogant and tough and does not buy into the claim that a ghost resembling dead Hamlet just entered. In reality, when he sees the ghost, he does not believe his eyes. This scene is important because it corresponds to two key themes and motifs in Hamlet.

PG 833: #3

Appearance and reality are both extremely significant themes in Hamlet. Appearance is how something "seems" or "looks" while reality is the state of existence of something. In Hamlet, Claudius "appears" to be the rightful and true King of Denmark but in reality, is the murderer of his brother, Hamlet. Claudius killed his brother, the former King, solely for political gain. In Hamlet, reality is hidden by appearance. King Claudius' manipulating and pompous persona distracts the other actors and actresses in the play. Hamlet, King Hamlet's son, is the proper King because he naturally has an authoritative personality. Compared to Claudius, Hamlet is much more fit to rule Denmark BUT Claudius managed to cast a great deal of support by the "blind" people on himself. Ultimately, reality can easily be covered by appearance just as Hamlet is in this play.

PG 833: #7

One major conflict in Hamlet is honesty and deception. King Claudius exemplifies this conflict because of his dishonesty for political gain. Claudius is a double-faced man who keeps many secrets from society in order to further his political goals. The biggest secret that Claudius keeps from the people of Denmark is that he murdered his brother, the former King of Denmark, because his brother’s death is the only way that Claudius could achieve his political aspiration to become King. The people of Denmark are unable to see Claudius’ duplicitous nature through the dialect of his speeches and view him as a great king and ruler, unaware of his hidden agenda. Claudius seems to act and care about his people when in truth he is only concerned with securing his image as a benevolent King. Claudius seems to represent the community and appear kingly when he delivers his long-winded speeches to the people of Denmark. All of this proves how deceiving King Claudius truly is and how important the conflict of honesty and deception really is.

PG 832: #9

I chose the soliloquy from I.ii.129-59 because Hamlet's true emotional personality is openly expressed and easy to see. Hamlet states: "But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: / So excellent a king; that was, to this, / Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother..."(I.ii.138-140) which shows how much he looked up to his father. Hamlet refers to his father as an excellent King as well as very loving to his wife, Hamlet's mother, further showing how well-rounded he was as an individual. However, Hamlet also connotes, in the same soliloquy, how he sexually thinks about his mother often. He says that he is ashamed of his thoughts: "Let me not think on't--Frailty, thy name is woman--"(I.ii.146) but still talks about the grotesque images. This soliloquy shows much about Hamlet through the sadness brought by his father's death and the disgusting thoughts that go through his head.

Discussion Question #14

Hamlet states: "Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"(2.2.236-237). Hamlet means that ever since the death of his father, his lifestyle has drastically changed. Thinking about actions, real or fake, changes one's view on a certain topic. I agree with Hamlet because of the situation that he is involved in. The death of his father not only changed the relationships within his family, but also the relationship of him and Denmark. Hamlet then states: "I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw"(2.2.330-331). In this quote, Hamlet shows how mad he truly is but ultimately, all he wants is revenge.

Discussion Question #7

Hamlet tells his companions he is likely to put on an "antic disposition" to give somewhat of a heads up to society for his behavior that is soon to come. I believe that Hamlet's behavior is a deliberate strategy and a natural reaction to his anger and grief. His behavior is a deliberate strategy because he is planning out the revenge on Claudius but it is also a natural reaction because he feels that the murder of his father by Claudius will only be equalled if he kills Claudius himself. Thus, Hamlet's behavior represents both a deliberate strategy and a natural reaction.

Discussion Question #4

Both Laertes and Polonius object to Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet because they feel that Hamlet does not have time for love at the moment. He just lost his father and now has to take over the throne as the King of Denmark. Laertes and Polonius don't want Ophelia to be in a relationship that she will ultimately regret. In act I, scene iii, Laertes and Polonius try to break Ophelia and Hamet up and thus, act as somewhat of a fatherly towards Ophelia by trying to protect her from Hamlet. Polonius and Laertes believe that the social class that Ophelia belongs to is not quite mature enough for that of Hamlet's. Thus they feel that Ophelia does not belong with Hamlet.

Everything Isn't Always How It Seems

Shakespeare presents multiple different speech patterns in his play, Hamlet. Each character in Hamlet has a contrasting personality and illustrates his/her persona through an individualized dialect. Claudius, the King, is an egotistical and pompous figure who seems to “sound” King-like through his long-winded speech – a type of speech merely based on his arrogance. When read by an audience, Claudius’ manipulating and fear-insecure nature is extremely obvious. Unfortunately, the easy ability to recognize his disguise is not so apparent to the other actors in the play.  Moreover, all one would need to do is scratch the surface of Claudius’ superficiality to reveal his true duplicitous and deceitful personality. 
Thesis: Ultimately, Shakespeare portrays Claudius, through his unusual diction in  Hamlet, as a politically motivated individual who is only concerned with insuring his Kingship.

An Interesting Aspect of "Prufrock"

I found "I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. / I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. / I do not think that they will sing to me." to be a truly fascinating aspect of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock because of its contrary, bright yet saddening stature. The beginning of the quote reflects a relaxing and perfect world suggesting the happiness of the speaker. However, the next line connotes the true sadness and negativity that the speaker feels. Almost that the speaker will not be engaged or even associated with all the beauty and amenities in the world. This last pessimistic and defeatist line draws "The Love Song" to a depressing tone, shattering the reader's mindset and hopes for love. T.S. Eliot does a remarkable job taking the reader on a journey - a journey from lust to the death of love.

Love and Time in "To His Coy Mistress"

Andrew Marvells’ poem To His Coy Mistress centers around the relationship between love and time. Although some might say that love is eternal, Marvell argues his belief that there is only so much time to experience love in a lifetime and that love may only exist to a person's time of death. There is no known fact stating that love continues on to another realm. Ostensibly, Marvell structures his poem on the ideas of living in the moment for love and not wasting any time. “Had we but world enough, and time, / This coyness, lady, were no crime.” The narrator is trying to let his "coy" mistress know that they do not have all the time in the world and that their time together is limited. Love is too special and time is too precious. The narrator essentially tells his mistress that it is a "crime" to waste time by taking their relationship slowly because they are wasting time that they could be together. The speaker continues by stating how time never stops and always catches up to moments in the present: "But at my back I always hear / Time's winged chariot hurrying near." This quote illustrates the speaker's urgency to experience love with his mistress before it is too late. Regardless of how much he is in love with his mistress, the end of time always haunts the speaker and continuously gets closer and closer. Marvell ends the poem with the speaker telling his mistress that they are going to make the most of the time that they have together: "Thus, though we cannot make our sun / Stand still yet we will make him run." The speaker asserts that he and the mistress should seize the moment and never let any moment that they could spend together pass them by. They are going to make the most of the time that they have together and are going to spend that time being in love. Marvell demonstrates that the concepts of love and time are related through the relationship between the speaker of the poem and his mistress in To His Coy Mistress.

To His Coy Mistress

"My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires, and more slow" is an example of a quote in To His Coy Mistress that illustrates how Andrew Marvell is trying to slow down time and make the reader visualize and connect to his poem. This quote is a key line in the poem because of its easy interpretation but juicy and strong meaning. It connotes how the speakers love will never stop growing for his mistress. Even though this quote is only 2 lines, it truly brings together the entire poem and shows how deeply in love the speaker is.